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Forget about installing closed-circuit surveillance cameras - a simple, low-cost defence against thieves and freeloaders may be a photocopy of a pair of eyes.

Behaviour researchers at the Newcastle University in the UK conducted a sly experiment on their colleagues and found that people were encouraged do the right thing when they were being 'watched' by a pair of eyes on a poster.

The study, by Dr Melissa Bateson and team, is believed to be the first to test how cues of being watched affect people's tendency for social co-operation in a real-life setting.

For their experiment, Bateson and her colleagues made use of a long-running 'honesty box' arrangement in a common room used by around 48 staff in the university's psychology department.

Academics were asked to put money in the box for any tea, coffee and milk they used without anyone checking to see whether they were actually doing so.

The honesty box had been operating for many years, so users had no reason to suspect an experiment was taking place.

Over 10 weeks, the researchers placed a poster above the honesty box listing prices of tea, coffee and milk.

The poster also featured an image banner across the top that alternated each week between different pictures of flowers and eyes.

The eye pictures varied in the sex and head orientation but were all chosen so that the eyes were looking directly at the observer.

Each week the research team recorded the total amount of money collected and the volume of milk consumed as this was considered to be the best index available of total drink consumption.

The team then calculated the ratio of money collected to the volume of milk consumed in each week.

The eyes have it

On weeks when the "eyes" image was shown, takings were 276% higher than during the "flower" weeks.

"I was really surprised by how big the effect was as we were expecting it to be quite subtle but the statistics show that the eyes had a strong effect on our tea and coffee drinkers," says Bateson.

The researchers say the study suggests that humans are "strongly attuned" to subconscious cues about behaviour that could damage their reputation.

"Our brains are programmed to respond to eyes and faces whether we are consciously aware of it or not," says Bateson.

The researchers say that being seen to co-operate is a good long-term strategy for individuals because it is likely to mean others will return the gesture when needed.

"Our findings suggest that people are less likely to be selfish if they feel they are being watched, which has huge implications for real life," says Bateson.

"For example, this could be applied to warnings about speed cameras. A sign bearing an image of a camera would have to be actively processed by our brains, as it is an artificial stimulus. Our research and previous studies suggest drivers would react much more quickly and positively to natural stimuli such as eyes and faces."

The group now hopes to expand the study to involve a larger sample population.